1 A2 idiomatic neutral
To feel happy and excited in anticipation of something pleasant that will happen in the future
"The children were really looking forward to the school trip to the science museum."
inseparable
look forward to
A2 neutral inseparable transitive
To feel pleased and excited about something that is going to happen in the future
In plain English
To be happy and excited about something that will happen soon
What does "look forward to" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic formal
Used in formal correspondence to politely express anticipation of a response or meeting
"Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To direct your gaze or attention forward (ahead in time) toward something
Actually means
To be happy and excited about something that will happen soon
Usage tip
GRAMMAR: Must be followed by a noun or gerund (-ing form), NOT an infinitive. 'I look forward to seeing you' (correct), NOT 'I look forward to see you'. Very common in formal email sign-offs: 'I look forward to hearing from you.'
Words that pair with "look forward to"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
holiday weekend meeting hearing seeing visit opportunity
How to conjugate "look forward to"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
look forward to
I/you/we/they
3rd person
looks forward to
he/she/it
Past simple
looked forward to
yesterday
Past participle
looked forward to
have + pp
-ing form
looking forward to
continuous
Hear "look forward to" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "look forward to" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "look forward to"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
anticipate await eagerly be excited about can't wait for count down to
Keep exploring
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